UC Berkeley Library’s Online Exhibition: Capturing Struggle: Ukraine Through American and Ukrainian Lenses

Introducing “Capturing Struggle: Ukraine Through American and Ukrainian Lenses,” an exhibition dedicated to documenting the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This online exhibition features powerful images captured by American and Ukrainian photojournalists, marking the third year of the war against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

The exhibition not only commemorates the unprovoked Russian aggression but also sheds light on the ongoing struggle of Ukrainians amidst civilian deaths, assaults on infrastructure, and human rights violations. It offers a glimpse into the daily lives of Ukrainians through compelling photographs. We are grateful to Brendan Hoffman (USA), Serhii Korovayny, Oksana Parfeniuk, and Serhiy Mykhalchuk (Ukraine) for generously allowing us to showcase their impactful work. Also, We want to thank Svidok and AI for Good Foundation for helping us with additional photos.

Special thanks to Professors Anastassia Fedyk, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Nataliia Goshylyk of the University of California Berkeley, and Professor Monica Eppinger of St. Louis University’s School of Law for their unwavering support in organizing this online exhibition and related events. These events aim to highlight the resilience of Ukrainian archivists, librarians, human rights lawyers, and publishers. We also have featured recommended readings from UC Berkeley Library’s collections based on the faculty input (In English, In Ukrainian).

The idea for bringing this exhibition to the library originated at Fulbright Ukraine and Institute of International Education Kyiv, of which the Director of both these institutions, Dr. Jessica Zychowicz, is a UC Berkeley Alumna (English, ’04). Deputy Director Inna Barysh, Communications Officer Marian Luniv, and Program Officer Mariia Kravchenko envisioned the first exhibit which took place in Vynnitsia, Ukraine, and continue to co-curate all iterations. The photographs provided by Serhii Korovayny and Serihy M. were not part of the original Fullbright exhibition and were a later curatorial addition. Fulbright Ukraine has held exhibitions at several U.S. and European universities and museums, including in locations in Berlin, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria attended by U.S. Ambassadors.

Explore the exhibition here: Capturing Struggle: Ukraine Through American and Ukrainian Lenses.

Capturing Struggle: Ukraine Through American and Ukrainian Lenses is an exhibition featuring images captured by American and Ukrainian photojournalists who are documenting the invasion of their country by Russia. The Russian military invasion of Ukraine began on 24th February 2022. This year, on February 24th, the war against Ukraine will enter its third year. This exhibition is dedicated to marking not only the milestone of unprovoked all-out Russian aggression against Ukraine but also the ongoing struggle of Ukrainians in light of civilian deaths, constant assaults on the civilian infrastructure, and human rights violations. It is also dedicated to the daily lives of Ukrainians, as documented through photographs. The curator remains highly grateful to Brendan Hoffman (USA), Serhii Korovayny (Ukraine), Oksana Parfeniuk (Ukraine), and Serhiy Mykhalchuk (Ukraine), who kindly agreed to provide us with permission to re-use the photos that they have taken throughout the Russian-Ukrainian war. Also, a special note of thanks goes to Professors Anastassia Fedyk, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Nataliia Goshylyk of the University of California Berkeley and Professor Monica Eppinger of St. Louis University's School of Law for steadfastly supporting a series of library-based events as well as the idea of this online exhibition we organized and their help with this virtual exhibition. These events were organized to highlight the difficult work of Ukrainian archivists, librarians, human rights lawyers, and publishers.